Thanksgiving Word Search Puzzles
Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest times of the school year — half days, assemblies, and a room full of excited kids. A printable Thanksgiving word search is the easiest low-prep activity in a teacher's toolkit: hand it out, and everyone from the fast finishers to the grown-ups at the family table has something quiet to do. This page gives you two ready-to-print puzzles built around gratitude, harvest, and feast vocabulary. The medium 12×12 puzzle uses forward and vertical words only, so second and third graders can finish it independently. The hard 15×15 puzzle hides words backward and on diagonals — a real challenge for fifth graders and adults waiting for the turkey. Both print on one US Letter page each with a name and date line, and every answer key prints separately so you can keep the solution out of sight. The word lists pair well with November writing prompts: after solving, ask students to pick three words and write a sentence about what each one means to them at Thanksgiving. Want to add your own words, like family names or your class list? Load the Thanksgiving starter pack in our free word search maker and print a custom version in under a minute.
Puzzle 1 — Thanksgiving Word Search (12×12 Medium)
| S | Q | U | A | S | H | J | M | E | K | G | P |
| B | K | L | W | H | E | A | T | F | H | W | I |
| T | U | R | K | E | Y | I | E | E | A | A | E |
| X | P | U | M | P | K | I | N | A | R | X | W |
| F | W | L | L | Z | O | C | D | S | V | G | R |
| M | C | F | E | G | X | S | K | T | E | Z | A |
| S | G | R | A | T | E | F | U | L | S | W | U |
| M | B | Q | V | J | U | E | F | N | T | C | T |
| W | H | J | E | F | A | M | I | L | Y | O | U |
| R | S | J | S | Z | B | E | O | A | N | R | M |
| A | N | V | H | H | P | R | P | V | C | N | N |
| Z | B | F | R | I | E | E | M | Y | J | Z | H |
- n.autumn — the fall season
- n.corn — a golden crop
- n.family — the people you gather with
- n.feast — a big celebratory meal
- adj.grateful — thankful
- n.harvest — the gathering of crops
- n.leaves — they fall from the trees
- n.pie — dessert, often pumpkin
- n.pumpkin — an orange squash
- n.turkey — the traditional bird
- n.wheat — a grain crop
- n.squash — a fall vegetable
Show Answer Key
The answer key prints on its own page after the puzzle.
| S | Q | U | A | S | H | J | M | E | K | G | P |
| B | K | L | W | H | E | A | T | F | H | W | I |
| T | U | R | K | E | Y | I | E | E | A | A | E |
| X | P | U | M | P | K | I | N | A | R | X | W |
| F | W | L | L | Z | O | C | D | S | V | G | R |
| M | C | F | E | G | X | S | K | T | E | Z | A |
| S | G | R | A | T | E | F | U | L | S | W | U |
| M | B | Q | V | J | U | E | F | N | T | C | T |
| W | H | J | E | F | A | M | I | L | Y | O | U |
| R | S | J | S | Z | B | E | O | A | N | R | M |
| A | N | V | H | H | P | R | P | V | C | N | N |
| Z | B | F | R | I | E | E | M | Y | J | Z | H |
- autumn
- corn
- family
- feast
- grateful
- harvest
- leaves
- pie
- pumpkin
- turkey
- wheat
- squash
Puzzle 2 — Thanksgiving Word Search (15×15 Hard)
| K | B | T | T | I | U | C | S | I | B | I | P | Z | K | M |
| E | F | Y | U | A | G | W | M | S | K | B | O | L | C | N |
| H | O | U | A | X | I | F | H | P | Y | O | C | U | I | H |
| M | U | I | I | Q | N | P | K | Q | W | I | Q | F | T | X |
| G | I | R | N | F | U | V | O | Y | A | G | E | K | S | J |
| Y | R | R | E | B | N | A | R | C | B | J | K | N | M | P |
| P | T | Y | G | C | Y | H | B | K | U | F | A | A | U | O |
| G | R | R | P | L | A | C | O | R | N | N | G | H | R | T |
| Q | N | E | A | O | I | A | D | S | A | R | R | T | D | A |
| P | M | I | B | D | E | P | G | T | A | O | I | O | W | T |
| L | B | J | F | M | I | Z | G | V | I | Q | X | F | C | O |
| E | K | E | O | F | E | T | Y | X | Y | M | A | I | Z | E |
| N | L | U | Z | R | U | V | I | V | V | P | O | N | S | E |
| T | U | Q | N | W | D | T | O | O | E | N | W | C | F | F |
| Y | U | M | G | M | R | S | S | N | N | P | I | M | D | M |
- n.acorn — an oak tree's seed
- n.biscuit — a small bread roll
- n.cranberry — a tart sauce berry
- n.cornucopia — a horn of plenty
- n.drumstick — a turkey leg
- n.gravy — a sauce for mashed potatoes
- n.maize — another word for corn
- n.pilgrim — an early settler
- n.plenty — more than enough
- n.potato — mashed or roasted
- n.stuffing — seasoned bread filling
- adj.thankful — full of thanks
- n.tradition — a custom passed down
- n.voyage — a long journey by sea
- n.November — the eleventh month
Show Answer Key
The answer key prints on its own page after the puzzle.
| K | B | T | T | I | U | C | S | I | B | I | P | Z | K | M |
| E | F | Y | U | A | G | W | M | S | K | B | O | L | C | N |
| H | O | U | A | X | I | F | H | P | Y | O | C | U | I | H |
| M | U | I | I | Q | N | P | K | Q | W | I | Q | F | T | X |
| G | I | R | N | F | U | V | O | Y | A | G | E | K | S | J |
| Y | R | R | E | B | N | A | R | C | B | J | K | N | M | P |
| P | T | Y | G | C | Y | H | B | K | U | F | A | A | U | O |
| G | R | R | P | L | A | C | O | R | N | N | G | H | R | T |
| Q | N | E | A | O | I | A | D | S | A | R | R | T | D | A |
| P | M | I | B | D | E | P | G | T | A | O | I | O | W | T |
| L | B | J | F | M | I | Z | G | V | I | Q | X | F | C | O |
| E | K | E | O | F | E | T | Y | X | Y | M | A | I | Z | E |
| N | L | U | Z | R | U | V | I | V | V | P | O | N | S | E |
| T | U | Q | N | W | D | T | O | O | E | N | W | C | F | F |
| Y | U | M | G | M | R | S | S | N | N | P | I | M | D | M |
- acorn
- biscuit
- cranberry
- cornucopia
- drumstick
- gravy
- maize
- pilgrim
- plenty
- potato
- stuffing
- thankful
- tradition
- voyage
- November
Make your own thanksgiving word search
Use this theme's word list as a starting point — add names, change the grid size, and print a custom puzzle in seconds. Free, no signup.
More Puzzles to Try
Free printable word searches for the same season and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Thanksgiving word search free for classrooms?
Yes — teachers may print unlimited copies for their own classroom, and families may print for home use. No signup or license fee.
Which puzzle is right for my class?
Grades 2-4 usually finish the 12×12 medium puzzle in 10-15 minutes. Grades 5-6 and adults should try the 15×15 hard puzzle with backward words.
How do I print the answer key only for myself?
Expand the Answer Key under any puzzle. The print layout puts the puzzle on page one and its answer key on page two, so you can print just page two if you only need the solution.
Can I change the words before printing?
Yes. The Word Search Maker lets you start from the Thanksgiving word list, then add names, remove tricky words, resize the grid, and print your own version.